Amidst a hectic two days on the Disney Dream‘s recent Christening Cruise, I welcomed the only stop on our short Caribbean voyage Disney’s Castaway Cay private island. But while the views are breathtaking and unique activities plentiful, all is not perfect on this fabricated island paradise.

Far from the hustle of Disney’s theme parks, Castaway Cay offers visitors a chance to kick back and do nothing. That’s right, it’s a Disney experience where the most common activity to just sit and relax. For those who need a little more fun than sunbathing, the vast ocean setting offers a chance to swim and snorkel and Disney even plusses that experience with the relatively new addition of a pair of short water park-style water slides, enjoyable for kids of all ages (that means adults too!). There’s also an unlimited supply of food and, while not fantastic, is a welcome addition to the off-board cruise experience.

Castaway Cay is not without missteps, but let’s focus on the best of Disney’s version of a Caribbean getaway first…

First impressions

The Disney Dream docked at Castaway Cay early in the morning, before I was awake. Stepping out on to the aft-facing balcony of my state room, I was greeted by the sunny sight of curved beaches and endless palm trees. Before heading to the island, a morning of walking around the ship was filled with similarly enticing views. It’s a great way to wake up.

Upon spotting Stitch greeting guests going ashore, I knew it was time to disembark:

A swipe of the “Key to the World” card lets crew members know you’ve stepped off of the ship, so they won’t leave you behind. After that, it’s time to explore.

A quick glance at a conveniently-posted map gets guests acquainted with the island.

Here’s a closer look:

But it’s not a far walk to reach the active areas of Castaway Cay. In fact, very little walking is needed at all.

Castaway Cay trams

Three main areas comprise Castaway Cay, each with its own unique activities and amenities. It would likely take upwards of 20-30 minutes to walk from end to end, but fortunately Disney provides theme park-style trams, free of charge, to get guests where they’re going.

Here’s a video compilation of three tram rides, beginning at the stop closest to the cruise ship and ended at the farthest point away, Serenity Bay:

Snorkeling at Castaway Cay

Backtracking to the beginning at the first tram stop (Scuttle’s Cove), guests find Castaway Cay’s main swimming areas. Alongside family beaches, the Swimming Lagoon is a roped-in ocean area accessible for anyone who wants to swim. Nearby, the Snorkeling Lagoon offers a chance to swim amongst fish and a few deliberately-sunken treasures. Guests can either rent a mask and snorkel from Disney or bring their own from home (recommended).

Take a swim with me through Castaway Cay’s Snorkeling Lagoon in this video:

Take warning: On little sleep, a swim from front-to-back in the Snorkeling Lagoon can be exhausting. After seeking out the sunken boat, Mickey Mouse statue, and Nautilus from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride, I barely had enough energy remaining to make it back to shore. All snorkelers are required to wear brightly-colored inflatable vests (though they aren’t required to be inflated). The vests provide buoyancy and make it easy for the many stationed lifeguards to spot guests in need of help. Only strong swimmers should attempt to make the grand circle tour of the entire lagoon.

Also worth noting is that the vest can cause some friction irritation, so wearing a shirt underneath is highly recommended. And if you’re planning a cruise during winter months, you can expect beautiful outside temperatures in the 70s, but rather cold water temperatures well below that. In fact, the ocean water was so cold during this voyage that very few visitors were swimming. It took me 20-30 minutes to adjust to the extreme temperature difference.

But it was worth the exhaustion, irritation, and near-hypothermia, as in addition to the video above, I snapped some great photos along the way:

Where else but at a Disney island can you find magical treasures like that waiting underwater?

Also found around these first beaches are various extra-cost activities, like hopping aboard paddle boats, glass-bottom boats, jet skis, and other recreational vehicles. There’s also “In-Da-Shade Games” featuring basketball, billiards, ping-pong, shuffleboard, and more. Kids will also find the Scuttle’s Cove play area here, set up for supervised children’s program fun.

Of course, there are plenty of places to stretch out and relax across the beach:

Pelican Point and Pelican Plunge

The second tram stop drops guests at Pelican Point, home to more beach relaxing, a few cabanas, and most importantly, the Pelican Plunge. Not even a year old, the ocean water slides of Pelican Plunge premiered at Castaway Cay in May 2010. They’re the closest activity to a theme park ride on the island and a whole lot of fun.

Take a video ride with me on both of the Pelican Plunge slides:

To get to the the Pelican Plunge barge, guests must swim through a short stretch of ocean water, where they will then be deposited back into after riding the slides.

Both slides wind in circles before dumping guests into the ocean, though the open-air slide is far slower than the enclosed one, which offers a nose full of water at the end if you’re not prepared. On the barge, visitors will also enjoy a giant water bucket dump, some high-powered water guns, and some pretty incredible views of Castaway Cay.

It’s a great addition to the island, as one of its most fun parts.

Serenity Bay

All of the above-described areas of Castaway Cay are family-focused. That is, plenty of children can be expected to be running around. And with the potentially hot weather and long walks, there are bound to be tantrums thrown. Adults looking to escape from all of that will enjoy the quiet relaxation of Serenity Bay, open only to ages 18 and up.

Take a video stroll around Castaway Cay’s Serenity Bay:

Serenity Bay is all about simplicity. As the final stop on the tram system (utilizing a separate tram entirely from the other two stops), it’s tucked away in its own cove. Guests will find a bar and long stretches of beach in both directions, with little else.

The view out to the ocean is unobstructed and breathtaking:

Depending on the time of day and crowd level, guests may find it necessary to reserve a cabana on the rear side of Serenity Bay, offering shade, seating, and even greater privacy:

Curling up with a good book or just soaking in the sun, adults need to be careful at Serenity Bay, as the day might just melt away faster than they realize. Be sure to listen for the ship’s whistle as the final boarding call!

Disney’s private island downsides

It’s tough to imagine that a private island surrounded by beautiful blue oceans can have any downsides, but Disney’s Castaway Cay isn’t perfect.

All of the above enjoyment is included with a voyage on the Disney Cruise Line, whether it be on the new Disney Dream or Disney’s other cruise ships. But guests looking for more adventurous activities, such as riding jet skis, on glass-bottom boat, or swimming with stingrays, will quickly find that not everything is free.

Beyond swimming, eating, and resting, most of the activities available at Castaway Cay are for an additional cost on top of the hundreds already paid to Disney for taking the cruise out there. It’s not uncommon for “shore excursions” (as they’re often called in the cruise industry) to cost extra, but when it’s Disney’s own island, guests who are familiar with the usual buy-admission, ride-unlimitedly theme park ticketing process might be shocked when asked to pay even more.

The food at Castaway Cay is less than appealing. It’s great to kill a hungry appetite after swimming, but don’t expect an expertly prepared meal coming out of Cookie’s BBQ. It’s all quite edible, but certainly nothing special.

Guests may also find Castaway Cay to be a bit phony in atmosphere. Yes, it’s a real island in the real Caribbean, and Disney gets authenticity points for that. But it still feels like a “Main Street USA” version of being on an island. That feeling of fantasy works well while in a theme park, purposely removed from the real world, but a cruise to the Caribbean ought to accentuate the real world rather than simulate it.

Stopping at other ports on a cruise, guests get a feeling of what Caribbean life is like. Sure it’s a tourist-filled, souvenir-stocked version of the Caribbean, but it’s still real. Somewhere between the pre-recorded “local Caribbean guy” narration on the trams that’s meant to sound live but obviously isn’t and the roped-off stretches of beach and ocean, Disney loses touch with reality at Castaway Cay, instead offering a microcosm of what they believe guests want on a trip to a Caribbean island. It works great in theme parks, but not as well when the vastness of real-world nature should be the star of the show.

In Summary

Even with its shortcomings, Castaway Cay offers enough of a variety of entertainment and activities for most travelers to enjoy, though some will cost extra. Active types can walk, swim, play sports, ride water slides, snorkel, and even scuba dive. Those looking for rest can pull up a lounge chair and let their minds drift into the sounds of the sea. Less outdoorsy types may find themselves tired of the island after a mere couple hours, ready to head back on board. On my next trip aboard a Disney cruise (whenever that may be), I’ll likely opt out of Castaway Cay in favor of further onboard exploration, having “been there, done that.” But first-timers will certainly get a kick out of a Disney-branded version of a peaceful Caribbean island.

59 Comments

Steven A.

Posted February 3, 2011 at 5:51 PM

Hey Ricky,

Enjoyed your review of Castaway Cay and I think you make some excellent points. We visited there as part of a week-long cruise on the Disney Wonder in 2002. My mother is a cruise agent, so I’ve been on quite few cruises over the years and, as such, a lot of cruiseline-owned beaches. I have to say that we were very impressed with Castaway Cay in general, and Serenity Bay in particular. I think some of your negative impressions may have been colored by the shortness and hectic nature of your trip. If I had been in your situation, I probably would have rather been exploring the ship in the precious little time I had as well. But after five or six days on the ship and touring other locales, we found Castaway Cay a very well laid out and relaxing conclusion to the trip.

Moreover, as an adult couple traveling without kids, Serenity Bay was a revelation. It was infinitely better than any out island beach run by the so-called “grown up” cruiselines. Just getting there is a hassle, as you pack yourself into a hot, cramped tender, ride in and discover an overcrowded beach full of screaming kids and exasperated adults where chaos reigns. At Castaway Cay, you just step off the boat and there’s a tram to take you to the beach that best fits your desired experience. Is it authentic? No way. Is it relaxing? YES. We could have stayed there for days. And I’m not sure if you experienced this, but a buffet of fresh grilled fish (I know you don’t like seafood), fruit, and other items was set up right on the beach when we were there so we did not have to resort to Cookie’s BBQ or the other admittedly lackluster food service options.

Your authenticity argument holds some sway with me, but we need to keep context in mind. This is Disney. Moreover, it’s a cruise on a huge, ridiculously luxurious ship. Expecting to step off of it into an unedited Caribbean experience is somewhat unrealistic.

You also make some excellent points! What you say about the hectic nature of my cruise is very true. I wish I had more time to spend on the ship as well as on Castaway Cay, and I think that if I had visited other ports prior to this one, I would have enjoyed it more as a change of pace. Instead, it replaced the “real” places I’ve grown used to visiting on cruises, making it seem all the more fake.

I didn’t see a buffet at Serenity Bay, but I did smell some food. Perhaps it just wasn’t ready yet. Sounds like I missed out there.

And yes, it is Disney. I didn’t really expect it to feel authentic, but a few items really just made it seem phony, rather than an idealized “fantasy” version of the Caribbean. I love Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and even New Orleans Square. I know they’re not real life, but they have their own flair and charm. Castaway Cay just seemed like somewhere that was trying hard to be a real Caribbean island with real island destinations and history, but ultimately falling short of getting there. But again, had I experienced the real world on a stop or two prior to hitting Castaway Cay, I may have appreciated the Disney-fied version of the Caribbean more.

With all that said, I greatly enjoyed my time at Magens Bay on St. Thomas during a Royal Caribbean cruise far more than my time at Serenity Bay. I took a truck to get to Magens Bay (the equivalent of Disney’s trams, though over rougher terrain). Once I stepped foot there, it was like heaven unfolded in front of me. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, dead quiet, and real. Given Disney’s ability to create amazing environments, I thought that they would have been able to craft a man-made beach to look as beautiful, if not more so, than Magens Bay. Castaway Cay itself is not beautiful. The ocean views are, but the Disney-created areas are not quite up to what I thought they would be.

Thanks for this–but a curious article. I kept waiting for the “bad stuff”, and while you do have some interesting observations, nothing sounds too bad a Castaway Cay! Well, I’ll find out myself as I’ll be there next Tuesday for the first time! So this was a helpful article.

I am looking forward to getting a bike and riding around and exploring a bit. I know that Castaway Cay is not a “real” island, but it looks beautiful and sounds like a great place to kick back and relax.

None of it was “bad,” it’s just not Disney-perfect. The atmosphere is a bit off, many of the activities cost extra, and the food is not good. It is beautiful and is definitely a great place to relax. Just don’t get your expectations too high.

Fantastic article/photos/video. I’ve been to Castaway Cay but this makes me feel like I am seeing it for the first time. I agree that the fact that many of the extras cost more money is annoying, but overall I hold a bit higher opinion of the place than you do. I will definitely need to check out the snorkeling on my next trip in December, if I can brave the cold water.

Excellent review as always Ricky. Though I did want to make one observation about the lack of authenticity on Castaway Cay. A few years back I was on a cruise and we went to the nearby beach in St Lucia. I fell asleep on the beach next to my wife (fiancee at the time) because it was soooo relaxing. We woke up and realized, someone stole my camera and my shoes (yes, my shoes)! Curiously (and thankfully), my wallet was unmoved, which I can only assume meant they didn’t see it. Anyway, sometimes a little phoniness is just the thing on a vacation because reality can leave you barefoot and lacking in vacation photos.

Yikes! While it’s terrible that happened to you, it makes a great point about real versus Disney. Castaway Cay is certainly a safe place where guests can leave their belongings lying around without any worries. Clearly the same is not true about other ports of call.

I described my amazing experience at Magens Bay in a comment above. But I also had a horrible experience stepping foot off the same cruise in Curacao, a place I will NEVER visit again. It was brutally hot and Michelle and I were inexplicably stranded on a shadeless bridge that moved laterally while we were on it to allow boats to pass through the channel. No one spoke English on the bridge and we had no idea it was going to do that, so we were stuck without explanation or refuge from the blistering sun for 10-15 minutes while we waited for the ability to step foot back onto land. All that happened within minutes of leaving the cruise ship and we were ready to immediately turn around and go back on board. But we didn’t, instead opting to recover for a few minutes and push on to see the city. Well it turned out that Curacao offered us nothing more than duty-free shopping and $1 T-shirts, so we gave up and left.

I would gladly visit Castaway Cay every day for the rest of my life than ever come anywhere near Curacao again.

Loved reading the tour of Castaway Cay, but I have to respectfully disagree with some of your negatives . . . the main reason we LOVE Castaway Cay is the fact that it is soooooo clean, and no one is trying to sell you something, or braid your hair or whatever. The food at Serenity Bay is yummy, sorry to hear your food experience was not what we had. The bike trails are great fun, and long enough that everyone spreads out that you feel like you have them all to yourself. Also, the fact that you don’t even have to leave your lounge chair and someone will bring you another frozen concoction, priceless. Oh yeah, and the clean bathrooms

I would like to offer a perspective of an 18 year old.
Me and my family have cruised with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney ships for as long as I can remember. Having been on many islands I have to agree with some fellow posters that Castaway Cay is by far my favorite. Now I do agree with you on some points of the excursions being a bit more pricy then some of Disney’s competitors. I have grown up on Disney Cruises and as a child I loved the “kid club” activities that are specifically set aside, these activities always gave my parents an excuse to sneak away to Serenity bay!
The authenticity of the Island is not a big factor for me. Royal Caribbean Cruises prefer to dock at an island and leave the guests to explore, the problem is I always seem to feel rushed. Between getting a taxi driver to take us to a beach (the haggling begins here), Islanders pushing items on you, and getting lost on the island itself(which has happened many times!), I much rather prefer Castaway Cay even if it is manufactured peace!

Next disney cruise I will be able to try Serenity Bay, I hope its as peaceful as I hear it it!

Great points. As I wrote above, it may have been that since Castaway Cay was the only stop on our short cruise, it seemed extra fake to me. Had we made a few other stops first, it likely would have been a nice, clean change from all the real islands.

Hey there, I LOVE these pictures and videos! Looks absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait for my turn to experience it! My question is about your camera and your equipment. I’m looking to expand my collection, and by ‘expand’ I mean get a good camera. So if you could tell me what kind of camera and what type of lense your using? I know some but not much about cameras. I was looking for something like this, where you get what you actually see and not the persons head. I was wanting something like that, but I started looking at cameras when I thought about the fireworks at MK. I wanted to be able to enjoy it again and again. What got me thinking was this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6pTRcVuoRA&feature=mh_lolz&list=FL4TmrbdUM3eY
I saw it and at first you think it’s a toy model and very well done animation, and then you realize that it’s real. If you could give me an idea of what kind of equipment this was shot with, I would really appreciate it! Thanks. Find me on twitter: _Think_Tink_

I’m glad you enjoyed the photos and video above. I used a GoPro HD Hero to shoot on the island (and underwater). You can find it here: http://t.co/TKqOzRW

The video you linked to above was shot by Disney. I’m not sure what specific equipment they used but I know that it was individual still photos edited together to form the video. The technique to make real life look miniature is called “tilt shift” photography and can either be achieved with special lenses or after by editing the photos to blur certain areas.

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Hello! Information you posted was greatly appreciated. Pictures were amazing as I WON’T be snorkeling! We are excited about our cruise on Disney Fantasy this Nov and was wondering about the island, this really helped put my mind at ease. You mentioned about the cabanas…I am just wondering when and where do your reserve the cabana on Serenity Bay. I have two people who can’t be in the sun for too long.

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Based in Orlando, Florida, Inside the Magic was launched in 2005 by Ricky Brigante. The Inside the Magic podcast has since become the longest-running Disney podcast in the world, with a new show having been released every week since its inception.

InsideTheMagic.net still features our weekly podcast covering Disney and all theme park topics, also reaching out to grand openings, special events, conventions, travel, movies, and other pop culture excitement with exclusive interviews, news, high-quality videos, photos, reviews, and much more.